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Not even the absence of the god-like Ringo Starr can deter our Thomas. You have to drive him along a twisty railway track, performing such tasks as delivering a tractor to a farm, taking some orphans to the beach, or ignoring the orphans and taking some toxic waste to the beach, and so on. The trouble is, this railway has at least five other trains running on it, so you have to keep nipping into sidings, or taking roundabout routes to get there safely.

Watch carefully as the words "set patterns" sidle towards the review, because Thomas The Tank Engine is, at heart, a test of memory. Sit on a siding and watch the trains go by until you've deduced the set patterns, then weave around the other locomotives to reach the end. There are seven levels in all, plus a couple of hidden race games.

The graphics are cheery, the music is stunningly off-key, and there are plenty of hair-raising moments as engines roar out of nowhere to knock you for six. Thomas also has a bonus Pelmanism game chucked in for free - it's absolute rubbish, but there you do, what do you expect?

All in all, quite a fun little game.

It's all very jolly and surprisingly playable. Instant appeal right across the board.

One task is very much like another. Tinies will get frustrated by the constant train wrecks. And where's the mighty Ringo?